The present invention relates to a portable foot operated door opening device that is portable and easily moved from one door to another or from one side of the door to the other. The device of this invention has no permanent parts affixed to the door.
The device provides a novel foot operated means for operating door latches to permit easy opening of the door, such as by a person whose hands are occupied with the carrying of bundles or the like. This device will have particular applicability for doors in homes occupied by the elderly or those infirmed with illnesses which prevent them from using their hands and arms for opening a door latched with conventional door knobs. The device is so designed and constructed such that it can be used to open a door that swings out or swings in because of its unique construction. Foot operated door openers, as the prior art patents show, go back at least one hundred years. U.S. Pat. No. 283,770 and U.S. Pat. No. 584,588 illustrate foot powered door openers with permanent attachments to the door latch mechanism.
In the early 1900's, U.S. Pat. Nos. 831,584; 918,730; 1,084,830; and 1,172,205 illustrate other door opening devices requiring a permanent attachment to the door in order to operate. As late as 1956 in U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,504 attempts have been made to provide remote control door knob operating means for various purposes.